Police and militants got within inches on the take off strip ...

... but the seven were already off the ground ...

... and on their way to Zurich.

Their mission was a success.

For his efforts, Mendez was awarded the Intelligence Star.

Warner Bros.

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The other 52 hostages were released after 444 days following negotians in which the U.S. agreed among other things to refrain from intervening in Iran's internal affairs. Below, President Carter poses with one of the hostages two days after his release at the U.S. Air Force hospital in Wiesbaden, Germany.